The globalization of societies across the world, driven into a dizzying vortex by technological advances and changing migration patterns, has introduced new requirements to the way organizations deal with their customers, especially when negotiating language barriers. One look at social media will show us that we are now contending with a veritable Tower of Babel. We’re all interconnected in previously unimaginable ways, but are we really understanding each other?
For social interactions, the language barrier seems more of a bothersome quirk, but when we need to be understood to access essential services for our survival, this shortcoming takes on sinister undertones. This has led to numerous debates on linguistic access and accessibility in the delivery of services. Although both concepts are related and used interchangeably, they describe two distinct efforts.
Language access is someone’s ability to communicate effectively and access information, services, and opportunities in their preferred language. Meanwhile, language accessibility refers to making communications clear and easy to understand for everyone, regardless of language proficiency, literacy level, or cognitive abilities. You could even say that accessibility is an integral part of language access as a whole. Let’s look at two scenarios that better illustrate the distinction:
Scenario #1
You recently moved to a new country but have no understanding of the local language. It hasn’t been an issue so far because you and your friends and coworkers there use English as your lingua franca, since most team members come from different countries. But one Saturday, you wake up feeling like death warmed over. Thankfully, this place has universal health care, so you drag yourself to the nearest urgent care center. You arrive and see a sign hanging over the reception area with the following symbols:
You have no idea what it means, and when you ask the person behind the desk, they shake their head—they don’t speak English, much less your native language!—and point up to the sign again. You are facing a barrier to language access.
Scenario #2
You are finally seen by a doctor who understands some English. She sends for a prescription, which you pick up on your way home. The pharmacy manages to provide an English translation of the directions for your medication. Upon reading them, you end up learning many new words in just a few seconds: “Administer one oral dose (10mg) of the prescribed pharmaceutical agent bi-daily with sustenance to mitigate gastrointestinal distress.” You know your English education was above average, but you weren’t expecting to need to resort to the dictionary just to take a few pills. You are now facing a language accessibility barrier.
These issues not only affect health care services; they also hinder the public’s access to justice, education, and other services, effectively excluding a significant portion of the population. Therefore, it would behoove us as service providers to strive to be as inclusive as possible in our communications. A wider net will catch more butterflies!
Beyond adding translations as a mere afterthought; this means designing content with everyone in mind, including:
- Using clear and concise language (avoid jargon!)
- Adding subtitles or captions to videos
- Booking interpreters for your events and meetings
- Including multiple languages in your content and materials
- Hiring translators fluent in the specific language variant for your region and industry
Don’t be afraid to use recent AI technologies to facilitate these efforts either, but make sure to check for inaccuracies and get feedback from human professionals, like us! At OGMA, we can help you design content that will ensure both linguistic access and accessibility in your content. Ask us how!
Written by:
Dorian Gray-Sorgin, Lead Translator
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